And I'm concentrating on Lake County as I'm familiar with the area some and have ties to the Navy base which may provide a competitive edge.

@Dan ThomasAs a civil engineer, a former planning board member and someone who had to do a curb cut on Virginia DOT road for my home I have some experience in this. 100% absolutely your engineer should have been talking with DOT early on, especially if site distances are not met as that is a safety issue and one that is very hard to overcome.

Can you get people on the phone, are they confident in their answers, will they provide track record, referrals, etc.  

I'd like to get a reference (or two) for law firms that provide advice that will include an insurance claim for a fire which started in a neighboring tenant's trash bin they leaned against my 4-plex. 

They are quick and responsive in terms of providing a quote, doing paperwork, and then answering questions, but I haven't actually had an issue yet.

Anyone out there have any contacts they can provide?

Unfortunately our new payment provider does not allow for holds, so we offer damage waivers. 

I could swing a 5-10% down payment from my savings and then use a heloc provided I can find a deal

Guest safety is the most important, yet overlooked, priority for investors.

Property management companies often receive volume discounts and priority service due to the volume of work we provide to these vendors.